Igniting device for gas-engines.



No. 881,954. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

J. V. RICE, JR.

I IGNITING DEVICE FOR GAS ENGINES.

- APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 22, I906.

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W/ TNE SSE S ATTORNEX JOHN V. RICE, JR., OF BORDENTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

IGNITING DEVICE FOR GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed June 22, 1906. Serial No. 322,814.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN V. RICE, Jr., a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Bordentown, county of Burlington, State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inIgniting Devices for Gas-Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates to an improvement in igniting devices forgas engines, the object being to provide a more perfect and efficientdevice of this character in order that the explosions within thecylinder may take place with greater regularity, speed andeffectiveness; and the invention consequently consists essentially inthe construction, arrangement and combination of parts substantially aswill be hereinafter described and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended clauses of the claims.

In the annexed drawing illustrating my invention: Figure 1 is a verticalsectional view of my improved igniting device for gas engines; Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the same.

Like letters of reference designate like parts in all the differentfigures of the drawing.

A denotes a vertical cylinder containing the explosion chamber of a gasor other explosive engine and in this cylinder is the piston a. I havedelineated cylinder A and piston a simply by way of example in order tomore satisfactorily exhibit the application of the invention. Ahorizontal cylinder A, containing piston a is shown in Figs. l, 5, 6 and7. The cylinder may obviously belong to a gas-engine, gas rock drill, orother machine.

Leading from the cylinder or explosion chamber A is a short tube oroutlet pipe B which is screwed into the wall of the cylinder A, orotherwise attached thereto at such a point as to contain a portion ofthe explosive mixture which fills the cylinder, and the explosions ofwhich generate the pressure for operating the engine. The branch oroutlet pi e B is preferably horizontal and is connecte to, or madeintegral with a vertictl tube C, which I designate the sparker tu e.

On the up or end of the sparker tube 0 is a screw cap having a centralopening. A packing gland L or screw plug screws into the cap K, asuitable packing being interposed between the lower end of the plug Land the inner bottom face of the cap K, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.The plug is centrally perforated. Arranged within the plug L and the capK in such a manner as to reciprocate vertically therein, is a sparkerrod D, carrying on its lower end a point (1 which serves as one of theelectrodes of the sparking mechanism, said point at being reciprocatedup and down in consequence of the up and down movement of the rod D.

The lower end of the sparker tube 0 screws into the central orifice of adisk or plate E, or is otherwise suitably attached to said plate.Beneath plate E is a similar plate F, a sheet of some suitableinsulating material G being interposed between the two plates E and F,and said plates being fastened securely to each other by means of thebolts f that carry on their lower ends nutsf said nuts being insulatedfrom the plate F by means of insulating washers g. Also, the bolts f aresurrounded with insulating material as shown. The purpose of theinsulating as described is to effectually separate the two plates E andF from each other, in order that the current may not be transmitted fromone to the other. The lower plate F carries a vessel or receptacle as H,secured centrally thereto, and depending beneath the same. This vesselcomprises preferably a short tube alined in the same vertical line withthe sparker tube 0 and with its upper end screwed into a central openingin the plate F. At the lower end of the tube H is inserted a screw plugJ, which serves as the bottom of the receptacle. This receptaclecontains mercury, quicksilver, or any subdivided metallic substance,which forms the other electrode of the sparking mechanism. The level ofthe mercury relatively to the end of the reciprocating electrode (Z isgoverned or controlled by means of the adjustable bottom J of themercury-containing vessel.

The conspicuous and important feature of this invention and the one onwhich I desire to place the greatest stress, is the use of mercury,quicksilver, or any subdivided metallic substance, as one of theelectrodes in a sparking mechanism for an explosive engine. liquid orfluid metal contact of this kind, or one consisting of finely comminutedmetallic material, possesses a multitude of advantages over the ordinaryspring fingers or metal projections. One advantage is the entire absenceof friction, enabling the sparker to produce spark after spark withgreat rapidity, and yet without any wear upon the contacting electrodes.In actual practice I have been able to operate a gas engine at threethousand or four thousand revolutions per minute with a sparker of thekind I am now describing, the latteroperating with perfect ease andefficiency and with absolutely no wear upon the parts. It must beunderstood therefore, that I desire in the present application toclaimthis point of the use of a subdivided metallic substance in a sparkingmechanism as broadly as it is possible to claim the same, reserving tomy self the right to modify in the greatest variety of ways, thearrangement and application of the said substance for use inaccomplishing the purpose in view.

One of the battery wires I attach to the mercury-containing vessel, asshown in Fig. 1, while the other wire is attached to the cylinder A orsome other part of the engine, it being understood that in this way bothcontacts are energized.

In the mechanism of Figs. 1 and 2 the reciprocation of the movableelectrode is accomplished by connections between a crank disk 0 on themain shaft, and the upper end of the rod D, said connections consistingfor example, of a link P and an arm p, which arm is fastened rigidly tothe upper end of the rod D, while the upper end of the link P isfastened rigidly to the outer end of said arm 29.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is

In a sparker, a fluid metal electrode con,- sisting of mercury orquicksilver, a receptacle therefor, said receptacle having an adjustablebottom, in combination with a movable electrode, a main shaft, a crankdisk thereon, and a rod connecting said crankdisk with the movableelectrode, all arranged so that the reciprocation of said movableelectrode may be accomplished by the connections between it and the mainshaft.

Signed at New York this 29th day of May 1906.

JOHN V. RICE, JR. Witnesses:

JOHN H. HAZELTON, C. B. SoHRoEDER.

